This presentation talks about the Relevance of S.R. Ranganathan in the Current LIS Era which was delivered on the occassion of National Librarians Day of Indian 2023

1. Relevance of
S.R. Ranganathan
in the Current LIS Era
Nabi Hasan, PhD, PDF, FNEB, FSLA
Head Librarian
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
https://web.iitd.ac.in/~hasan hasan@library.iitd.ac.in

2. 9/12 August 1892
S.R. Ranganathan was born at Shiyali, a town in the
Mayiladuthurai district (Thanjavur) of Tamil Nadu
Father: Ramamrita Ayyar
Mother: Seethalakshmi
13 January 1898
His father died after an illness at the
age of 30, when Ranganathan was
only six years old
January 1953
Ranganathan's mother died due to a
fire accident at home in Delhi
Biography of Prof. S. R. Ranganathan

3. Family Life
➢ Ranganathan married at the age of 15 with Rukmini
➢ She died in an accident on 13 November 1928
1907
➢ Ranganathan married again to Sarada
➢ She was devoted to Ranganathan and helped him to work
ceaselessly for the cause of the library profession.
➢ She even persuaded him to donate large sums of money
to the Chair of Library Science at Madras University and
to the Endowment
1929
Sarada died at the age of 78 years in Bangalore.
The Couple has a son named R. Yogeswar.
30 July 1985

4. Education
He passed M.A. in Mathematics with
Professor Edward B. Ross as his teacher.
He wanted to be a teacher in Mathematics. He
also took a course in teaching techniques and
gained L T degree from a teachers' college.
March/April 1916
Attended the S.M. Hindu High School at Shiyali
At village
Matriculation examination in First Class
1908/1909
Ranganathan passed B.A. with a first class in
March/April 1913
March/April 1913
Joined the junior intermediate class at the
Madras Christian College
March 1909
01
02
03
05
04

5. Teaching Career
1
1
❖ He was appointed as Assistant Lecturer in the Government College in Mangalore
and Coimbatore, taught Physics and Mathematics
1917-1921
2 ❖ He joined the Presidency College, Madras as an Assistant Professor of
Mathematics, taught Algebra, Trigonometry and Statistics
❖ His friends have quoted Ranganathan's attitude to work, thus: Our right
is only to do the work falling to our share, never to the fruits of our
work. Flirt not with fruits.
1921-1923

6. Towards
Librarianship
✓ He became
the first
Librarian
of Madras
University
4th January 1924
✓ Ranganathan
left
Presidency
College
January 1924
✓ Ranganathan left for
England in order to
fit himself for the
position and to study
at University
College London
September
1924
✓ He returned after 9
months of study-cum-
observation tour and came
in close contact with W.C.
Berwick Sayers, Chief
Librarian of Croydon
Public Library
✓ He also studied at the
School of Librarianship,
University College
London.
✓ W.C.B. Sayers taught him
classification
July 1925

7. Activities at Madras
❖ After returning to Madras,
Ranganathan began a mission for
librarianship.
❖ He began to re-organize the University
Library
❖ Ranganathan presented his Five laws
of library science for the first time in a
conference of teachers held in the
Meenakshi College, Annamalainagar
1928
Published the book
"THE FIVE LAWS
OF LIBRARY
SCIENCE"
1931
❖ A school of library science was
also initiated by
Ranganathan first under the
Madras Library Association and
later taken over by Madras
University
❖ Ranganathan was the Director of
the school for nearly 15 years
1929
Having performed
active library service
for 21 years, at the age
of 54, he submitted his
resignation
1945

8. ➢ He reorganized there the entire collection
single-handedly, classified and catalogued
about 100,000 books
➢ He also conducted the Diploma Course in
Library Science during the same period
➢ After this, he wanted to engage himself in
active research.
➢ But he received an invitation to develop the
library system of the Banaras Hindu
University, by the then Vice-Chancellor Sir
S. Radhakrishnan.​
Activities at
Banaras
1945-1947

9. Activities at Delhi…
1950
➢ Ranganathan moved to
Delhi University on an
invitation from Sir
Maurice Gwyer.
➢He confined himself to
teaching and research in
library science and did
not take the responsibility
of organizing the library.
1944
1955-1957
1950-62
1950
1947
➢Ranganathan was
also elected the
President of the
Indian Library
Association (ILA)
➢While Ranganathan
was in Delhi, his
international contacts
began to grow
➢He was the Chairman
of the Classification
Research Group of
the International
Federation for
Documentation (FID)
➢Ranganathan was
one of the founders
of the Indian
National Scientific
Documentation
Centre (INSDOC)
established in
➢Bachelor of Library
Science
➢Master of
Library
Science

10. Activities at Delhi
➢ In order to gain first-hand
knowledge of Industrial
documentation and to meet his
international commitments,
Ranganathan moved to Zurich,
Switzerland.
1957
1955-1957
27th
Sept.1972
1965
1962
➢Ranganathan moved
over to Bangalore
➢ He died after a fruitful 80 years
of his life
➢ While he himself contributed to
the field of library service,
science and profession,
he catalyzed a human movement
whose manifestation is
witnessed even today
➢ Documentation Research
and Training Centre
(DRTC) established at
Bangalore as a unit of the
Indian Statistical Institute
Calcutta
➢ The main functions
centered around
research and teaching activ
ities in Library and
Information Science.
➢ Ranganathan
was recognized by
the Government of
India and made
him the National
Research Professor
in Library Science

11. Honours and Awards
Rao Saheb 1935 from the
Government of India
under British rule
Padmashri
1957 from the
Government of India
Honorary D.Litt.
1964 University of
Pittsburg
National Research
Professor
1965 from Government
of India

12. Some Positions he Served
Professor of Library
Science at the
University of Delhi.
University Librarian &
Professor
Lib. Sc. at BHU
University Librarian,
University of Madras
Director
at DRTC Bangalore
President of ILA
Honorary Member of
FID
Vice-President for life
Library Association of
Great Britain
Honorary Member of
FID
Wrote 65 books and
2000 research papers

13. ✓ Five Laws of Library Science (1931)
✓ Colon Classification (1933)
✓ Classified Catalogue Code (1934)
✓ Theory of the Library Catalogue (1938)
✓ Elements of Library Classification (1945)
✓ Classification and International Documentation (1948)
✓ Philosophy of Library Classification (1950)
✓ Classification and Communication (1951)
✓ Headings and Canons (1955)
✓ Reference Services, 2nd ed. (1961)
✓ Documentation and Its Facets (1963)
✓ Library Book Selection, 2nd ed. (1966)
✓ Prolegomena to Library Classification, 3rd ed. (1967)
Main Works: An overview

14. SRR: Contributions to Library Profession
As a Library Scientist As a Promoter
As a Teacher
Enacted library
legislation and
promoted library
development in the
country
Who inspired many a
students and helped
built up a first cadre
of library manpower
for the country
Who has contributed to the
growth of the discipline by
propounding new theories,
concepts and ideas

15. Library
Management
Collection
Development
Space
Management
Staff
Management
Knowledge
Organization
and Retrieval
Subject
Indexing
Cataloguing
Classification
Five Laws/
Basic
Philosophy
Canons,
Principles,
Laws
Bibliographic
Records
formats
Concepts
and
Theories

16. Establishment of DRTC Bangalore

17. The Sarada Ranganathan
Endowment For Library Science
✓ Founded the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for
Library Science in 1963 as a registered not-for-profit
trust for furthering the cause of library science
✓ Promote and enhance the quality of library and information services in India
✓ Carry out and promote research in Library & Information Science (LIS)
✓ Serve as a forum for disseminating and discussing developments of interest to the LIS
profession
✓ Facilitate continuing education of LIS professionals
AIM
FOR THIS
✓ Sarada Ranganathan Endowment Lectures (Since 1965)
✓ Dr S. R. Ranganathan Memorial Lectures (Since 1973)
✓ SRELS Journal of Information Management: Founded in 1964 by Dr. S. R.
Ranganathan as ‘Library Science with a Slant to Documentation’

18. American Library Association, 1962
Your ideas are universal,
you answer the challenges
of the future with a
challenge. For a generation
you forced librarians to
think. We are proud to be
in your debt

19. Sir Maurice Gwyer
He is the father of library
science in India…... His
reputation as a librarian
extends far beyond the
borders of his own country
and his opinion and advice
are valued in all lands
where libraries are held in
honour

20. Challenges of the Digital Age for Libraries &
Library Professionals
➢ Digital Mindset of the Users
➢ Web/Google/Chatbots/Intelligent Search Agents/IT People who
are trying to replace Reference Librarians?
➢ Transition from Print to Digital to Multimedia Formats
➢ Smart, value-added services using AI, AR, VR, Blockchain, IoT, etc.
➢ Ranking, Accreditation and Visibility Challenges
➢ Integrated LMS to cloud-based LMS
➢ Metadata repositories to full-text digital collections (eBooks, Digital
Libraries, Open Archives)
➢ Skill sets for maintaining the transformed library systems?
➢ Financial and cadre constraints?
➢ Change is inevitable; therefore, the role of Librarians is also crucial

21. The transition from Custodian Role to Information
Analyst’s Role then to Knowledge Worker’s Role
Due to the enormous penetration of Technology, many professions are going through
sea change. Library Profession is not an exception. Currently, this profession carries
about 80% Technology component and 20% Traditional Librarianship
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMcD_ItdyvU

22. 1. eResources are for use
2. Every reader her/his eResources
3. Every eResource, any eReader
4. Save the time of the eReader Patron
5. The library is an evolving organism
(Andy, W., 2010)
6. Every Reader her/his freedom (James R. Rettig)
(http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/five-laws-of-library-science-ebook-edition/ )
Laws of Library Science & Web Environment

23. Original vs.
New conceptions
Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities by OCLC

24. Searcher’s Frustration
Google Images
“Just give me
the Answer….
And make
sure it’s
right!”
“I don’t
want to
search…. I
just want to
find!”

25. LIS Professionals
should look at New
Technologies and
Services with a
Critical Eye

26. Information Organisation and Retrieval
Dr Ranganathan in as early as
1968 started a project ‘Doc-
finder’ for fast document
retrieval, which was a
pioneering effort towards the
development of automatic
classification.

27. Information
Organisation and
Retrieval
Future Vision
➢ CC aims at maintaining simplicity and brevity of
notation relative to the complexity of ideas expressed
in class numbers.
➢ It can be used as a base for the derivation of subject
headings and thesaurus construction using a computer.
➢ Precision in the notational place, via the use of
indicator digits particularly, makes it easily adaptable
to synthesis by computer in the formulation of class
numbers.
➢ Ranganathan propounded ‘Chain Indexing Procedure
for Retrieval of Documents’ in a natural language
order. He derived terms from the classification
language, i.e. CC itself.
➢ At present in a database environment, retrieval is done
through matching of keywords from the records of a
specific database. Ranganathan’s chain procedure also,
gives a list of index terms that are used for searching.

28. ➢ Library Resources are for Use
• If a resource is not being used, it should either be marketed or eliminated.
➢ Every Customer His or Her Library Resources
• It is not enough to make customers happy. We must “delight” them.
• Do more than they expect.
➢ Every Library Resource its Customer
• Positioning.
• Branding.
➢ Save the Time of the Customer
• The librarian’s mantra; better, cheaper, and faster.
• Better is subjective, cheaper is often irrelevant, BUT, faster is a measurable benefit.
➢ A Library is a Growing Organism
• Nothing is constant.
• Make it easy for your customers to tell, what you did well and what was done poorly.
Ranganathan SHOWN the Way of Marketing in LIS
which is applicable in current scenario as well

29. ➢ Research Impact & Metrics
➢ Reference Management
➢ Research Data Management
➢ Electronic Document Delivery
➢ Writing Tools and Plagiarism/
Similarity Support
➢ Organizing scholarly workshops like
Author workshops, Publishing
workshops, Writing workshops, Book
Publishing workshops, etc.
➢ Organizing user orientation workshops
under “Know Your Resources”
➢ User Centric Tutorials preparation, etc.
Research Support Services & Outreach Programs

30. To promote and strengthen the Library System and
our position, we have taken several Initiatives
⮚ Data Analysis & Interpretation for different Institute/Govt. purposes
⮚ National Resource Centre in Library & Information Sciences (ARPIT), MoE, GoI
⮚ Only Library to offer the NPTEL Course
⮚ Digitally Transformed and Interactive Library Website using Drupal
⮚Cloud-based Integrated Library Management System with RFID
⮚Library App
⮚Faculty Profiling System (IRINS)
⮚Link to Digital Resources from the WebOPAC/Website/IR
⮚Video Library Services
⮚Remote Login with Kerberos ID, using VPN and Shibboleth
⮚Ask the Librarian Interface
⮚Resource Sharing Facility and Exchange Programs
⮚Online Book Recommendation Systems: ERP & KOHA based
⮚Single Window Discovery and Federated Search
⮚eNews Clipping Services
⮚Digital Display of Newly Arrived Books
⮚Judicious Use of Social Networking
⮚Virtual Library Tour, Virtual Book Exhibitions
⮚Outreach and Skill Development Programs
⮚Migration from Commercial ILMS to Open Source KOHA, etc.

31. Why Libraries and
Librarians are Still
Extremely
Important
➢Not everything is available on the Internet and its a mess,
subject to manipulations.
➢Digital libraries are not the Internet.
➢Libraries are not just books.
➢Like businesses, Digital Libraries still need human
staffing.
➢Not everyone can afford books and other library
resources.
➢Eliminating libraries would cut short an important
process of cultural evolution.
➢Libraries are stable while the web is transient.
➢Libraries can be surprisingly helpful for news collections
and archives.
➢Librarians help in evaluations/Metrices/Rankings, etc.

32. Disclaimer/Acknowledgements
➢The Presentation/Lecture has been prepared from
different resources to help the attendees to
understand the topic for academic and research use.
➢I duly acknowledge the scholars and the website
content providers whose materials have been used in
my presentation/lecture.
➢Special Thanks to COLLEAGUES at IIT Delhi for help in
this presentation.

33. If you want to be a reference
librarian, you must learn to
overcome not only your shyness
but also the shyness of others!
“ “
S.R. Ranganathan